Release the cats!
***Spoilers for The Tawny Man Trilogy through chapter 15 of Fool’s Errand. Heavy references to the events of The Farseer Trilogy and mentions of Liveship Traders***
After taking our time settling back in with Fitz and Friends – catching up on things we missed and reorienting ourselves to the slower pace of the Six Duchies – things seem to be taking shape in our story.
We’re back in Buckkeep, and everyone is back on their bullshit. The Fool and Chade concoct a ruse to bring Fitz back into the fold unnoticed, which naturally involves treating him like dogshit around the clock. Oh well- it’s the only way! They can’t risk him having even a single item of comfort in his hidden, windowless sleeping chamber, yet they’re somehow fine relying on an even-Clark-Kent-would-be-unimpressed level of physical disguise. Which is to say, there is no disguise. Just the trust that a servant’s outfit and a few half-hearted mannerisms (which Fitz consistently botches) will suffice. I suppose by now they assume that as long as Fitz is getting the raw end of the deal, things will work out.
The Plot Thickens
We’ve got a missing prince, and Detective Fitz is on the case! I thoroughly enjoyed watching him go full Sherlock Holmes. We get scenes straight out of Law and Order: Six Duchies:
Fitz: “Begin the night before he disappeared…”
“… and tell me all that you know.”
I didn’t quite realize the Venn diagram between assassin training and detective work was practically a circle, but I’m not going to question it.
Of course, my favorite scene came when Fitz visits Jinna’s house to make arrangements for Hap’s arrival in Buckkeep Town. Jinna creates perhaps the least necessary charm ever – a necklace to essentially make Fitz even more attractive. Jinna! What have you done!? You know not the power you unleash! She claims it’s not supposed to provoke sexual attraction, but everything that follows shows she has severely underestimated the Fitz appeal.
I was absolutely dying during this entire sequence. She puts the charm on him and immediately starts kissing him. Her niece cockblocks arrives home, and when Fitz goes to leave, she’s all: “Going already? Are you sure you can’t stay? Plenty of room here.”
Felt like things might get real freaky there for a moment 👀.
Alas, Saint Fitz makes his exit and proceeds to be increasingly unsettled by everyone lusting after him even more than usual. The Fool immediately clocks that this power can’t go unchecked and has Fitz remove the charm so he can examine it. I can’t wait for its glorious return. Sometimes it feels like Robin is writing this story just for me.
Ok, I’ve restrained myself long enough. Let’s get to perhaps the most important thing that has occurred throughout our entire RotE journey:
🚨 WIT CATS ARE HERE 🚨
Just when I think I couldn’t love this series any more- enter: cats. As you may be beginning to pick up, I am a bit of a cat lady. This in no way negates my undying love for Nighteyes or any of the pups who have graced our story thus far, but the addition of bitchy, superior cat attitude is just 🤌 perfection. First we learn more about Prince Dutiful’s Wit-bond to a hunting cat. (Side note: pretty poetic that he seems to have been lured away by mysterious pussy.) But the true beginning of our RotE feline era comes courtesy of Jinna’s cat, Fennel. He comes out of nowhere into Fitz’s mind, with a casual Wit “Coming up,” as he hops onto his lap. Fitz is startled, noting:
“Never had an animal spoken so clearly to me via the Wit save for my own bond animals.”
And then we get this Wit exchange:
Fitz: “Do all cats speak so rudely to strangers?”
Fennel: “All cats talk however they want. To whomever they want. But only a rude human speaks out of turn. Be quiet.”
More musings:
I am eagerly anticipating Prince Dutiful and Fitz interacting. We’ve got a lot of potential for some weird Fitz pseudo-dad energy to emerge. We’re already getting hints that Fitz will have to grapple with the sacrifices asked of him for the greater good vs. how he’s going to advise Dutiful. I also have to imagine Dutiful isn’t going to be immediately receptive to guidance from “Tom Badgerlock.”
Speaking of Prince Dutiful- we are being introduced to quite a few youths in a similar age range: Hap, Dutiful, Jinna’s niece, Nettle (not to mention our young pals from the Cursed Shores). I feel this could be setting up some Six Duchies: The Next Generation storylines. If anyone recalls my enthusiasm for the Reyn-Malta young love subplot in Liveship Traders, you’ll know I’m excited.
Two new bombshells have entered the story! Each time a youngish woman appears, my hackles immediately rise. These chapters introduced two new additions to keep an eye on: first, Delleree, the weapons training partner; then Laurel, Kettricken’s huntswoman, who joins the expedition to recover Prince Dutiful. Laurel in particular falls victim to the Fitz appeal (no charm necklace required), not-so-subtly asking if he’s single and openly flirting despite Fitz’s usual obliviousness. I’m watching you ladies!
I have found myself increasingly over the “Chade charade” as the series progresses. For someone who spent a lifetime in the shadows preserving the Farseer line, he sure takes to his very public court advisor role – with all its perks – pretty easily. And he continues to use and abuse Fitz with only the barest of “I wish there was another way” sentiments tossed around. So I found it particularly satisfying when, after being denied any relief from the post-Skilling pain Chade all but forces on him, Fitz tells him:
“Pain. That’s what being a Farseer means to me. Pain and being used.”
Preach, Fitz.
Back to the Clark Kent approach to disguises- we have a close call with Hands near the stables. Fitz decides: “Oh, I’ll just make myself known enough as Tom Badgerlock that Hands will accept it.” GTFOH! Hands is certainly going to recognize Fitz. Don’t insult me.
New horsey alert!
The Fool equips Fitz with a new mount who is basically the anti-Sooty. For now, Fitz is calling this horse Myblack, which honestly may have to leap to the top spot of my “worst names” list. Listen, I’d even take Kyle (freshly available on the name market!) over Myblack 😬 .
Fitz and Nighteyes have been separated for most of these chapters, which feels very wrong. Fitz even plans to leave him behind while he searches for Prince Dutiful because, you know, why bring a wolf you share senses with when you’re trying to track someone through the wilderness? Thankfully, Nighteyes catches up and gives us an instant classic:
Fitz: “You’ve made me look like an idiot.”
Nighteyes: “That wasn’t hard.”
I also thoroughly enjoyed Nighteyes being all “I don’t fuck with cats.” On his first encounter with a cat earlier that day:
Nighteyes: “I did no more than put my nose into the door when that orange fury flew at me, all claws and spitting.”
Fitz: “I know no more of them than you do. Burrich never kept cats about the stable.”
Nighteyes: “He was wiser than either of us knew.”
My orange fury (shoutout Scampi the cat) is using our Wit-bond to tell me it’s time to go to bed. See you soon!
wizardwordship 